Method and control unit for monitoring the lane of a vehicle

• US 10,255,815 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Fu, Chengxuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/512,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/207 Steering angle of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A method and a control unit for monitoring the lane of a vehicle, including the steps of ascertaining at least one lane characteristic, ascertaining at least one driving situation variable representing the instantaneous driving situation of the vehicle in an instantaneous position, as well as ascertaining at least one approach variable in a subsequent position of the vehicle. The approach variable is ascertained from the at least one lane characteristic, as well as from the at least one driving situation variable.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a lane of a vehicle, the method comprising:

ascertaining at least one lane characteristic;

ascertaining at least one driving situation variable representing an instantaneous driving situation of the vehicle in an instantaneous position;

ascertaining at least one approach variable in a subsequent position of the vehicle from the at least one lane characteristic and from the at least one driving situation variable; and

at least one of;

(i) warning the driver of a predicted vehicle movement based on the approach variable; and

(ii) providing a vehicle control intervention to change the vehicle movement based on the approach variable;

wherein the instantaneous driving situation of the vehicle is ascertained by determining the following;

(i) an instantaneous curvature K_act from an instantaneous ego-velocity V_ego and an instantaneous yaw rate, and (ii) an instantaneous curvature change K_act, and

wherein the at least one approach variable includes at least one of a left front wheel approach variable and a right front wheel approach variable,

wherein the left front wheel approach variable is determined with a clothoid formula, for the left front wheel as follows;

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the at least one approach variable to a threshold value; and

outputting an information variable as a function of the comparison of the approach variable to the threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the approach value is ascertained predictively, and wherein a prediction length or a prediction time is used as a parameter for the predictive determination of the at least one approach variable.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the prediction length and the prediction time are linked to one another via the ego-velocity of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein one of the prediction length and the prediction time is variably settable.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein one of the prediction length and the prediction time is variably settable by a driver of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one lane characteristic is detected with the aid of at least one sensor, the sensor including a detection range, and the prediction length is altered.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the prediction length and the prediction time are linked to one another via the ego-velocity of the vehicle, in particular, while taking the wheelbase into consideration.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one lane characteristic is detected with the aid of at least one sensor, the sensor including a detection range, and the prediction length is altered, in particular, reduced, as a function of the expanse of the detection range of the sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one approach variable is ascertained as a function of the instantaneous distance of a coordinate system of the vehicle at an instantaneous position relative to at least one of the coordinate systems of a roadway boundary, of the instantaneous angle of the coordinate system of the vehicle at the instantaneous position relative to at least one of the coordinate systems of the roadway boundary, of the curvature of at least one roadway boundary, and of the curvature change of at least one roadway boundary as lane characteristics.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one approach value is ascertained as a function of the instantaneous curvature of a vehicle trajectory, and of the instantaneous curvature change of the vehicle trajectory as a driving situation variable, and wherein the instantaneous curvature is a function of the instantaneous velocity and of the instantaneous yaw rate of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two approach variables are determined, wherein a first approach variable is assigned to a first roadway boundary and a second approach variable is assigned to a second roadway boundary.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the smaller approach variable of the first approach variable and the second approach variable is ascertained, and the ascertained smaller approach variable is compared to the threshold value.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first approach value and the second approach value are provided as output variables to a lane-keeping system and are used as input variables for this system.

15. A control unit for monitoring a lane of a vehicle, comprising:

a first subunit for ascertaining at least one lane characteristic;

a second subunit for ascertaining at least one driving situation variable representing an instantaneous driving situation of the vehicle in an instantaneous position;

a third subunit for ascertaining at least one approach variable in a subsequent position of the vehicle from the at least one lane characteristic and from the at least one driving situation variable; and

at least one of;

(i) warning the driver of a predicted vehicle movement based on the approach variable; and

(ii) providing a vehicle control intervention to change the vehicle movement based on the approach variable;

wherein the instantaneous driving situation of the vehicle is ascertained by determining the following;

(i) an instantaneous curvature K_act from an instantaneous ego-velocity V_ego and an instantaneous yaw rate, and (ii) an instantaneous curvature change {dot over (κ

)}_act, and

wherein the at least one approach variable includes at least one of a left front wheel approach variable and a right front wheel approach variable,

wherein the left front wheel approach variable is determined with a clothoid formula, for the left front wheel as follows;

16. The control unit of claim 15, wherein in the third subunit the at least one approach variable is compared to a threshold value, further comprising:

an output unit to output an information variable as a function of the comparison of the approach variable to the threshold value.

17. The control unit of claim 15, wherein in the third subunit, two approach variables are ascertained, the smaller approach variable of the first approach variable and of the second approach variable is ascertained in an intermediate unit, the ascertained smaller approach variable is compared to the threshold value, further comprising:

an output unit to output an information variable as a function of the comparison of the approach variable to the threshold value.